1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Wedding Band. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
"Wedding Band" takes place in South Carolina during the summer of 1918. The city is somewhere close to the sea. The setting opens with a backyard and three houses. The three houses belong to three black women named Lula, Mattie, and the newest resident, Julia. The landlady is Fanny, a short-tempered and somewhat-bitter black woman. Mattie has a child named Teeta, and Lula's son, Nelson, is an army man who has just come back from a tour of duty during World War I. Julia is a woman who has constantly been on the move. This has been due to her relationship with Herman, a white baker of German descendant. Although they have been together for 10 years, they have not been able to stay together due to the laws of the time. Julia and Herman must, yet again, find a way to make their relationship work. One of the dramatic situations of this play is the influenza epidemic that killed millions of Americans.The other dramatic situation includes World War I, with many Americans feeling disdain towards Germans.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? NOTE: Arguments might be made for several different points where stasis is broken. Be prepared to defend your point of view, if different from other students.
The intrusion of the play is when Herman falls ill. The plans and circumstances that preceded the intrusion now come into question. This event also leads the characters towards the dramatic question of whether or not a relationship like Julia and Herman's can ever survive in America. This event is the trigger that leads to the events that follow.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The unique factor in "Wedding Band" is Herman. Specifically, it is the relationship between Julia and Herman and Herman coming to visit her which is the unique factor. Their relationship is not only out of the ordinary for the other characters involved, but it is also out of the ordinary for the time period as well. Not only that, but interracial marriage was also unlawful in that region of the country. Herman falling ill would not have been as complex of an issue if he wasn't with Julia. This unique factor influences major questions that are asked within the play.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
The dramatic question of this play is whether or not a relationship involving different races and colors can ever survive in America. This question is shared with the intrusion, as Herman's illness leads Julia, the main character, to confront that very same question. Unfortunately, the answer to that question is no. Julia must face unfair prejudice from both sides of the aisle. In the America of 1918, a love like theirs cannot flourish. However, it is not a resounding no. Julia does not give up hope. This is displayed when she gives her ring and train tickets to Mattie. Julia still believes in love and marriage. Perhaps what playwright Alice Childress implies is that change will come as long as there is love.
5. Use Julia to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual or individuals, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles in the play.
At the beginning of the play, Julia wants to be left alone. As someone who is constantly on the move, she must not have the time or patience to continually make new friends. Also, there is the problem of keeping her relationship with Herman a secret. These problems characterize her struggle vs. Society. She not only must fight the law, but she must also fight her own people as well. She must also fight against other characters in the play. Her black neighbors all question her reasoning for wanting to be with a poor white man. On the other end, she must also fend off Herman's sister and, most importantly, his vicious mother who cannot understand why her son would degrade himself by being with a black woman. Before the play's final act, she focuses on her struggle with society in a vicious monologue where she denounces all whites. She constantly repeats how she will clean everything of the "whiteness". Her frustration at the hands of white people has come to a breaking point. By the end, all that is left is her vs. herself. As Annabelle and Herman's mother come back to the house, they are not met with anger or slurs but with forgiveness. She must forgive them. Not for them, but for herself.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Wedding Band.
There are several theatrical moments during this play. Firstly, there's the scene with Mattie, her daughter Teeta, and the lost quarter. This is where we're given our first introduction to Julia, the main character. The scene with Teeta and Princess playing together is also another very theatrical scene. Childress is implying that racism is not born with but rather learned. Another very important scene is the last conversation between Julia and Herman. There is a considerable amount of emotional weight being lifted in that scene. Each is professing how each truly feels about the other and the lives they've lead.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Wedding Band. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
With this play, it is safe to say that we can learn the entire story just by reading the title. The official title of this play is "Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White. In this title, the author has told us that their is a relationship that is examined by both sides and that love and hate are equally explored. Like this title, certain images in the play also give meaning to the events in the play. The image of Julia in her wedding dress signifies her longing for marriage, specifically with Herman. This is why, when she wears it mockingly in the final act, it is painful to read. Maybe she knows that it will never happen, which leads her to put on the dress. There is also the images of the wedding band and tickets to New York. To Julia, they represent freedom and a better life. The lost quarter in the first scene hold significance as well. It quite clearly defines the socioeconomic status of the women living there and of the economic troubles of the age.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Wedding Band.
Several themes in this play include discrimination, love, prejudice and tolerance, and alienation. Julia must deal with discrimination on both sides of the aisle. She must also balance her relationship with Herman while living in a world that does not accept their love. Alienation is one of the biggest themes in the play because every character must deal with a certain level of alienation. For instance, Julia must deal with the alienation of her race while Herman must deal with being alienated by his family.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Wedding Band? Perhaps you might argue for several different kinds of family in this particular play. What do you think?
The first family dynamic that caught my eye while reading was that of the 3 female tenants in the play. As black women, there seemed to be a certain level of understanding that did not need much elaboration. For instance, the romantic difficulties that each woman has had seems to become a shared experience that helps each woman relate to the other. There is also Herman and his biological family. Him and his sister long for lives outside South Carolina, but they're beaten down consistently by their mother. These two examples perfectly show how family can hurt just as much as help.
DEADLINE: Please complete all of your work on this play by Friday, September 1.
"Wedding Band" takes place in South Carolina during the summer of 1918. The city is somewhere close to the sea. The setting opens with a backyard and three houses. The three houses belong to three black women named Lula, Mattie, and the newest resident, Julia. The landlady is Fanny, a short-tempered and somewhat-bitter black woman. Mattie has a child named Teeta, and Lula's son, Nelson, is an army man who has just come back from a tour of duty during World War I. Julia is a woman who has constantly been on the move. This has been due to her relationship with Herman, a white baker of German descendant. Although they have been together for 10 years, they have not been able to stay together due to the laws of the time. Julia and Herman must, yet again, find a way to make their relationship work. One of the dramatic situations of this play is the influenza epidemic that killed millions of Americans. The other dramatic situation includes World War I, with many Americans feeling disdain towards Germans.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? NOTE: Arguments might be made for several different points where stasis is broken. Be prepared to defend your point of view, if different from other students.
The intrusion of the play is when Herman falls ill. The plans and circumstances that preceded the intrusion now come into question. This event also leads the characters towards the dramatic question of whether or not a relationship like Julia and Herman's can ever survive in America. This event is the trigger that leads to the events that follow.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The unique factor in "Wedding Band" is Herman. Specifically, it is the relationship between Julia and Herman and Herman coming to visit her which is the unique factor. Their relationship is not only out of the ordinary for the other characters involved, but it is also out of the ordinary for the time period as well. Not only that, but interracial marriage was also unlawful in that region of the country. Herman falling ill would not have been as complex of an issue if he wasn't with Julia. This unique factor influences major questions that are asked within the play.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
The dramatic question of this play is whether or not a relationship involving different races and colors can ever survive in America. This question is shared with the intrusion, as Herman's illness leads Julia, the main character, to confront that very same question. Unfortunately, the answer to that question is no. Julia must face unfair prejudice from both sides of the aisle. In the America of 1918, a love like theirs cannot flourish. However, it is not a resounding no. Julia does not give up hope. This is displayed when she gives her ring and train tickets to Mattie. Julia still believes in love and marriage. Perhaps what playwright Alice Childress implies is that change will come as long as there is love.
5. Use Julia to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual or individuals, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles in the play.
At the beginning of the play, Julia wants to be left alone. As someone who is constantly on the move, she must not have the time or patience to continually make new friends. Also, there is the problem of keeping her relationship with Herman a secret. These problems characterize her struggle vs. Society. She not only must fight the law, but she must also fight her own people as well. She must also fight against other characters in the play. Her black neighbors all question her reasoning for wanting to be with a poor white man. On the other end, she must also fend off Herman's sister and, most importantly, his vicious mother who cannot understand why her son would degrade himself by being with a black woman. Before the play's final act, she focuses on her struggle with society in a vicious monologue where she denounces all whites. She constantly repeats how she will clean everything of the "whiteness". Her frustration at the hands of white people has come to a breaking point. By the end, all that is left is her vs. herself. As Annabelle and Herman's mother come back to the house, they are not met with anger or slurs but with forgiveness. She must forgive them. Not for them, but for herself.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Wedding Band.
There are several theatrical moments during this play. Firstly, there's the scene with Mattie, her daughter Teeta, and the lost quarter. This is where we're given our first introduction to Julia, the main character. The scene with Teeta and Princess playing together is also another very theatrical scene. Childress is implying that racism is not born with but rather learned. Another very important scene is the last conversation between Julia and Herman. There is a considerable amount of emotional weight being lifted in that scene. Each is professing how each truly feels about the other and the lives they've lead.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Wedding Band. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
With this play, it is safe to say that we can learn the entire story just by reading the title. The official title of this play is "Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White. In this title, the author has told us that their is a relationship that is examined by both sides and that love and hate are equally explored. Like this title, certain images in the play also give meaning to the events in the play. The image of Julia in her wedding dress signifies her longing for marriage, specifically with Herman. This is why, when she wears it mockingly in the final act, it is painful to read. Maybe she knows that it will never happen, which leads her to put on the dress. There is also the images of the wedding band and tickets to New York. To Julia, they represent freedom and a better life. The lost quarter in the first scene hold significance as well. It quite clearly defines the socioeconomic status of the women living there and of the economic troubles of the age.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Wedding Band.
Several themes in this play include discrimination, love, prejudice and tolerance, and alienation. Julia must deal with discrimination on both sides of the aisle. She must also balance her relationship with Herman while living in a world that does not accept their love. Alienation is one of the biggest themes in the play because every character must deal with a certain level of alienation. For instance, Julia must deal with the alienation of her race while Herman must deal with being alienated by his family.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Wedding Band? Perhaps you might argue for several different kinds of family in this particular play. What do you think?
The first family dynamic that caught my eye while reading was that of the 3 female tenants in the play. As black women, there seemed to be a certain level of understanding that did not need much elaboration. For instance, the romantic difficulties that each woman has had seems to become a shared experience that helps each woman relate to the other. There is also Herman and his biological family. Him and his sister long for lives outside South Carolina, but they're beaten down consistently by their mother. These two examples perfectly show how family can hurt just as much as help.
DEADLINE: Please complete all of your work on this play by Friday, September 1.